- The 13th Oktoberfest opened Friday night at SteelStacks in Bethlehem
- The German-inspired festival will be held Friday, Oct. 6 through Sunday, Oct. 8, and Friday, Oct. 13 through Sunday, Oct. 15
- The festival features polka music, a variety of beer, food and entertainment
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Who comes to Oktoberfest at SteelStacks?
Natasha Romig of Bethlehem and her fiancé, Nick, sipping beers and eating snacks a week before their wedding. Even their best man who was born in Fleetwood, Berks County, but lives in Japan does.
And Sean Micca of Allentown fit right in as he strolled into the festival rocking lederhosen.
And Gretchen Huber, born just outside of Hamburg, recalled a taste from home as she munched on a Karl Ehmer brat.
“Festivals like this are just another reason why people like to live around here or are thinking about moving here."Marianna Rossovitch, Emmaus
Who comes to Oktoberfest? Anyone and everyone who enjoys food, beer, music and friendly faces.
“Festivals like this are just another reason why people like to live around here or are thinking about moving here,” Marianna Rossovitch of Emmaus said while sipping a beer from an Oktoberfest mug.
Opening night of the 13th annual Oktoberfest at SteelStacks is the kickoff of consecutive weekends of German-inspired music, entertainment, food, a dog racing contest, a fashion show, a 5k run, a Brewer’s Village, a PierogiPalooza and so much more.
Sponsored by ArtsQuest, the festival runs Friday, Oct. 6 through Sunday, Oct. 8, and again Friday, Oct. 13 to Sunday, Oct. 15.
The full schedule can be viewed here.
Festivities at seven different venues on Friday ran from 5 to 10 p.m., with the Bethlehem-based Robbie Lawrence & the Steelworkers Polka Band opening the entertainment at the Samuel Adams/Dogfish Head Biergarten.
“We keep playing polka music and choose to come here to help continue celebrating German-Austrian heritage,” said Lawrence, 29, a six-generation Lehigh Valley native.
“We play to introduce this music to new generations, to keep this music alive and well in the Lehigh Valley.
“I have a music degree from Moravian. I believe the three most exciting, uplifting genres of music are disco, marches and polka.”
Germans, Poles and other Central European immigrants kept the dance alive even as the broader culture moved on to new crazes.
Other music Friday night included but was not limited to sets by Melody Cruz, a recording artist and native of Catasauqua, Allentown native Steve Brosky, and Lehigh Valley band Sons of Izzy.
The festival continues on Saturday and Sunday, each day from noon until 10 p.m., with music throughout the day at all venues. Also both days, the Oktoberfest Pup Parade and Wiener Dog Races will be held.
Friday’s opening night was an epicurean delight, including German brats, strudel and potato pancakes.
As a line formed at the Foodstuff stand, owner Jim Roberts of Emmaus was at the grill pouring potato pancake batter and tending to the treats until they were golden brown.
“This is our 13th year at Oktoberfest,” Roberts said. “It’s just a great time to be among all these people who enjoy this type of food.”
Paul Williams Jr. and his father, Paul, stood proudly behind a small table cluttered with all types of sizes of authentic German beer steins for sale, including one more than 100 years old.
"We learned about this festival on Facebook and decided to come," said Williams Jr., a native of Pittston in northeastern Pennsylvania. "We're glad we did."
Among the more anticipated and attended events to come at Oktoberfest are the Pennsylvania State Steinholding Championships at Oktoberfest Arena.
Semifinals will be held Saturday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. Finals will be Saturday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m.
Winners in the men’s and women’s divisions will each be crowned Pennsylvania State Steinholding Champions and receive a $500 cash prize.
Most folks don’t hold their stein of beer away from their mouths for minutes at a time. The instant the suds are in their stein, it quickly gets raised to their lips.
But during the stein-holding competition, that is precisely the goal — to extend their arm straight out and parallel to the ground while holding a stein of beer that weighs five pounds, including 1 liter of beer. The last person to hold the beer is the winner.
The competition is also called Masskrugstemmen, which loosely translates to the “lifting of a liter mug of beer,” a well-known and competitive Bavarian sport.
According to the U.S. Steinholding Association — yes, such an association exists — there are rules that must be followed to the liter, er, letter.
The stein must be gripped by the handle.
The thumb may not rest on top of the stein handle; it must rest on the other fingers.
The pinkie finger may be held outside of the handle.
If the pinkie is outside the handle, it may only touch the handle, not the main body of the stein.
A team of USSA judges will determine whether contestants follow the rules and conform to form. Contestants who violate the rules will be eliminated.
Pennsylvania is among 11 states that host a USSA competition.
The U.S. Men’s national record is 21 minutes, 17 seconds, set by Michael Tyler in 2018.
The U.S. Women’s record is 6 minutes, 10 seconds, set by Taylor Handy in 2022.
